Set Review - Go-Kart Racer 30314

Some things are just so obvious, eh? But first, some history. When I was younger, I built a bunch of little midget race cars. The basis was always the same; 2x8 plate with a 1x4 bumper front and aft, a 45° slope front and aft and a 1x4 plate for the spoiler. Sometimes I'd change it up a little but mostly they were formulaic.

Imagine my delight when I saw this little set. The pieces are quite updated and the build is slightly different but the formula is there. Squee! The bag art didn't fully show the engine on the back but I'm impressed at what it is. One of those little Chima fists stuck on a travis brick looks kind of like a manifold. And a new space gun on the other side kind of looks like an exhaust. But the manifold only has three ports. These must be little tiny quarter midgets or something.

Cool idea and I can see some variation on the theme. Maybe a fist on either side for an implied 6 cylinder and the exhaust in the back. A 1x1 round plate or tile on top for the air filter and now we're talking!

But what really struck me was that despite the Octan livery, this thing looks like such a knock-off from a popular video game that it almost seems obvious. This, my friends, is how you rip-off a license. Create something under your own sub-brand that reminds the end-user so much of another property that lines are blurred. And yet there's no basis for a suit of any kind. I wonder how the K'nex execs or looking at this. Brand-washing? Or maybe they're hoping the confusion will help their properties.

I'm sure TLG would deny any intention but someone in a back room has got to be sniggering over this. Let that set your bias for buying this. Available at Target in the US, other European locations at Brickset.com.